Nestlé Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Recalled After Wood Fragments Found Inside

A close up of chocolate chip cookie dough pieces on a baking sheet — iStock / YinYang

No matter what level of cooking skills you may have, keeping your home stocked with freshly baked sweet treats can be easy, thanks to prepackaged cookie dough. The convenient products have become something of a kitchen mainstay by providing delicious homemade-style desserts without requiring a mixing bowl or measuring cups. But you might want to take a minute to double-check your supplies before you go to bake your next batch: Nestlé just recalled some of its chocolate chip cookie dough after wood fragments were found inside. Read on to see if you're affected by the move.

Nestlé just pulled some of its chocolate chip cookie dough from shelves.

sheet of chocolate chip cookies — iStock / PamelaJoeMcFarlane

On Aug. 11, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Nestlé USA had issued a voluntary recall of 16.5-ounce packages of its Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough "break and bake" bars. The affected products have batch numbers 311457531K and 311557534K, and the best-by dates 8/22/23 and 10/23/23 printed on the side of the packaging.

According to the agency's notice, the items were shipped to retailers within the U.S. The company clarifies that no other Nestlé Toll House products are affected by the recall.

The company issued the recall after receiving customer complaints.

A young girl and a man looking into an oven while baking something — iStock / Svitlana Hulko

While cookies can allow for some creative toppings and additional ingredients, the latest recall is due to an unexpected hazard. The company said the affected products could potentially contain wood fragments, which it discovered after it received complaints from "a small number of consumers."

"We are working with the [FDA] on this voluntary recall and will cooperate with them fully," Nestlé USA wrote in the recall notice. "We are confident that this is an isolated issue, and we have taken action to address."

Here's what you should do if you purchased the recalled cookie dough.

So far, the company says there have been no reports of "illnesses or injuries" related to the product. However, they advise anyone who purchased the recalled cookie dough not to bake or consume the product. Instead, they should return the item to its place of purchase, where they can receive a replacement or a refund.

"The quality, safety, and integrity of our products remain our number one priority," the company wrote in its notice. "We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this action represents to both our consumers and retail customers."

Customers with questions or concerns can also reach Nestlé by calling a hotline listed on the recall notice.

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This isn't the only recent case in which a company has recalled a food product.

Cropped shot of a woman using a smartphone while shopping in a grocery store — iStock

Health and safety systems in place in the U.S. make it much less likely for potentially dangerous products to make it onto shelves. But occasionally, manufacturers might only discover a problem after food and beverage items have been shipped to stores and placed on sale—including in a few recent notable examples.

Last month, the FDA announced that Coca-Cola Bottling Group United had issued a recall for 177 cases of its Coca-Cola Ultimate products, Food Safety News reported. The company says it pulled the product due to a packaging problem in which Coca-Cola Ultimate was shipped in bottles incorrectly labeled as Coca-Cola Ultimate Zero Sugar. The mix-up created a potential health hazard for people with certain underlying health conditions who can't consume too much sugar.

On July 18, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc. announced it was voluntarily recalling some of its Outshine No Sugar Added Strawberry Fruit Bars sold at popular retailers, including Walmart, Kroger, and Shoprite. In this case, the company pulled the items after discovering they "may contain trace amounts of milk," which created an undeclared allergen hazard.

And a similar situation unfolded weeks later when Frito-Lay announced a voluntary recall of some of its Doritos Nacho Cheese Flavored Tortilla Chips on Aug. 1. The company said it was pulling a "limited number" of the product because it could "contain undeclared soy and wheat ingredients from spicy sweet chili tortilla chips."

Zachary Mack Zach is a freelance writer specializing in beer, wine, food, spirits, and travel. He is based in Manhattan.Read moreFiled UnderFood • News • RecallSources referenced in this article